


What Might Have Been

by Lisabelle



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, I was convinced of this ship, This was a non-ship show for me, but within three minutes in the season finale, i am hopeless :D, within an AU world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-10
Updated: 2015-03-10
Packaged: 2018-03-17 05:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3517034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisabelle/pseuds/Lisabelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of Jacob Stone, Librarian, and his Guardian, Eve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The New Librarian

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbetaed, so please excuse any big mistakes. It's also almost complete. Out of 6 chapters, I've written 3.5. 
> 
> So, uh, I didn't ship this or anything in this show at all, but 3 minutes in the season finale, and I was utterly convinced in Librarian!Jake's adoration of his Eve. Loved it and wanted more. So, I supplied it myself!

**2004, Our World?**

 

Jacob Stone, aged 28, had a good life. He had great folks that lived just three miles away, a sweet little sister, and a fine job working with his pop at the oil rig. This life suited him just fine.

One of these statements is a lie.

Try again.

 

When Jacob Stone was in high school, his favorite teacher had him take an I.Q. test. He refused to tell anyone else about it, least of all his folks. When the results came back, he kept the fact that he had an I .Q. of 190 a secret. However, the same day he received his score, he picked up 21 books from the library. Most of them were about the Italian Renaissance. From then on, his room, then later on his apartment, never contained less than 37 library books on topics ranging from Native American basket weaving to Ghanaian cowrie art to Japanese Buddhist architecture. This doesn't even count the books in his personal collection.

The same year he graduated high school and began working at the oil rig, he secretly enrolled himself in an online college program. He continued with this program even after he was he turned down prestigious degrees at both Cambridge and the Sorbonne. He graduated with honors and wrote 18 papers under a pseudonym.

He never left his hometown.

 

Now, he was 28, lived on his own, and still worked at the same oil rig five miles away from the town he was born in. Until the letter.

 

* * *

 

Jake Stone wearily turned the key latch on his door. The apartment was spacious, as was most real estate in podunk Oklahoma. He fumbled for the light switch, before trudging across the floor to his favorite chair and plopping himself down on it.

It had been a long day. He'd taken a double-shift at the rig, covering for his buddy Joe, which, in truth, was the last thing he'd wanted to do. He rubbed his eyes before leaning over and turning on the computer next to the chair.

His newest paper on Venetian Gothic architecture had officially been released and he was anxious to see what his fellow peers thought. Jake opened a secret tab in Internet Explorer, before typing in the title of his work. His face relaxed as he took in the praises his colleagues gave in regards to his paper.

“Boo!” came from behind him. A small hand grabbed his shoulder.

He swore as he quickly clicked out of the database and turned to behold his assailant.

“Jesus, Caroline, what have I told you about sneakin' in, in here?” He glared at his sister, who had covered her mouth laughing.

At 17, she was a right hooligan, but she had little puppy-dog eyes that she turned toward Jake now. As she stared at him plaintively, he attempted to keep a frown on his face, then gave up and sighed instead. He could never stay angry at her for long.

“Awww, Jakey, I was just comin' to visit,” she pouted. “Mom and Pop were goin' on about they haven't seen hair or hide of you for weeks, 'cept down at the rig. What were you lookin' at?” She tried to peer around his shoulder at the computer.

“Nothin',” he said shortly. “Why were the folks talkin' like that? I've seen Pop down at the rig.”

She gave him a look. “Well, for starters, you missed the church potluck last week. And Millie and George had their new baby, but they say you haven't come to visit yet, and Mrs. Miller was looking for you to mo...”

He held up a hand in defeat. “Alright, look, I get it. I should show my face outside of work more often.”

Caroline cocked her head to the side, before shrugging and picking up the closest book lying on his desk, reading the title. “Art of the Avant-gardes... Well, maybe if you didn't stay in here and read these books all day, we'd see more of you. What's 'avantgarde' mean anyway?”

“It means new,” Jake snapped, grabbing the book away from her, “and you ought'n stick your nose in my business.”

She scowled at him. “Well, why don't they just say 'new' then? Instead of some fancy word. We don't need to know this stuff. All we need to know, we got right here.” She crossed her arms and shifted her weight. “And don't you snap at me. You ain't Pop.”

He sighed. His double life created no end to problems in his life. “I'm sorry, Caroline. Really. It's just... I know that what we need to know is here. I know the oil rig, and I know Oklahoma, but, I just want to, see somethin' more of the world.”

“Why?” Caroline wondered, “This place is home,” She grinned. “Besides, the next time the Roder boys stir up trouble at the bar, we'd need you to help knock 'em down.”

“Yeah, I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before grinning at Caroline and catching her head in a lock, rubbing her head playfully and letting her go. “Thanks for comin' by. I'll visit Mom and Pop later this evenin'.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

–

 

After she left, Jake tiredly turned toward his rig equipment, meaning to hang them up for the evening. His jacket had somehow landed on the floor at Caroline's entrance; now he bent to pick it up. A white piece of paper fell out of the inside pocket.

“What the-?”

Jake picked it up.

It glowed gold.

_You have been selected to interview for a prestigious position at the Metropolitan Public Library._

He stared at it.

In another world, after investigating this strange magical letter, he might have thrown it away. After all, he had a loving family, a home, a stable job. Jacob Stone wanted for nothing.

However here, now, something sparked within him. Jake stared at the letter, different scenarios rushing through his head.

He was packed within three days, and after kissing his parents and Caroline goodbye, he flew the cheapest flight he could find into New York City.

 

* * *

 

Arriving at the Library, he discovered a large staircase, on which a long line of people stood. Awkwardly shuffling to the end of the line, he asked the person in front of him, “Hey, uh, is this to interview of the important library position?”

The person he'd asked, a dark-haired man with glasses and a beard, gave him a once over, took in his Oklahoman cowboy appearance and sneering slightly, answered, “Yes.”

Jake did not know how long he stood there. Eventually, though, he was at the head of the line, three floors up. The bearded man in front of him came storming out, muttering angrily under his breath as a booming, disembodied woman's voice cursed the man out of the door.

Jake hesitated, debating on whether to just turn around and leave.

“Don't you dare think of leaving yet!” Said the Voice sternly.

Jake swallowed, and strode as best as he could into the hall.

A woman with a bob sat at a large table. She glared at him.

“What makes you think you could be the Librarian?” she asked him, without greeting.

“I.. the... what?”

She repeated her question.

“What makes you think you could be the Librarian? Here?”

Jake stood a little straighter.

“Well, ma'am, I'm a very hard worker, and have a keen eye for-”

She interrupted him. “Shush, I don't need this sort of information. Everyone here today has been selected for some special reason.”

He closed his mouth, getting irritated. “Well, ma'am? What DO you need from me?

She sighed, exasperated. “What makes you a candidate for the Library? What is something that you can do that none of the interviewers can?”

He grimaced, now truly irritated and losing confidence that this was a good idea for any kind of Oklahoma cowboy- oil rigger hybrid to come out all this way.

She waited.

He sighed, and turning slightly, gestured to the hall in which they stood. “Look, you see these walls? This architecture is based off of the Venetian style of 1568, but the colors painted on them refer more to the academic style of Paris in 1844. They don't really fit together, is what I'm sayin', I'd consider changed it.” He pointed to her desk. “The framework of this desk matches those used in several distinguished offices in the world, including the White House, but the symbolic brands marked into it are meant to symbolize a larger expanse of vision, mostly likely based on Masonic imagery of the pre-Revolutionary era.”

 

He paused. She was regarding him, eyebrows up. He went on a few moments more, recognizing the different styles and art periods echoed in the room.

Eventually, she told him, “Very well. I've seen enough.”

He frowned, disappointed, and made to turn to the door, but her voice stopped him.

“You will be given a six month trial basis, effective immediately. Judson?”

A short, balding man in a suit appeared to the right, seemingly out of nowhere.

“Welcome,” he said, “to the Library. Please, follow me.”

He brought Jake to a large bookshelf and stood in front of it, looking at Jake expectantly.

Jake waited, making a small impatient movement.

Judson spoke: “If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended"

“Shakespeare?” asked Jake, before quoting the second part of the line, “That's from A Midsummer Night's Dream, isn't it? 'That you have but slumber'd here, while these visions did appear.' What am I suppose to do with the quote?" When Judson did not reply, but simply looked at him, Jake turned to the bookshelf, spying a copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream. The spine was covered in singular embellishments, probably one of a kind. Jake meant to take it out of the shelf to look at the artwork further, but dropped his hand quickly in shock when the book acted as a mechanism that allowed the shelf to open into a doorway.

Judson ushered him instead, smiling slightly, and led him to a secret elevator.

They stepped inside, Jake with his mouth open. As Judson pressed the button, he told Jake, “You are about to see something few men in the world have ever seen.”

Jake's mouth closed and he smiled tightly. “Well, that would be a first.” He gestured to the elevator in which they stood, “But I guess I can already take your word for it, so...” He trailed off.

Judson just smiled calmly at him.

When the doors opened, and the light came on, Jake gaped, eyes widened and shining, and any doubts of him returning to his old life on the oil rig died away, and he knew in that instant that his life was forever changed. Judson guided him into the cavernous Library.

The next half hour was a blur. Jake spent half an hour giddily identifying rare and magnificent artworks, even ones that he'd read were lost.

Eventually, he stopped his at-length investigation, and turned to Judson.

 

He asked,

“So, when do we get started?”

 

 


	2. Enter Eve, Stage Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eve receives her letter, and her path changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes Eve! 
> 
> So yeah, I tried keeping her no-nonsense personality, while at the same time making her a bit more precocious. She's ten years younger, after all! Not as jaded, probably. Probably a bit prouder, like younger people tend to be (speaking as one!).
> 
> Again, apologies for the unbetaed writing. I'm not intending to win any medals for this writing, or how the story is structured or plotted; I just wanted to get this fanfic story out there. :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it for what it is!

** 2004, that same week **

 

27 year old Officer Eve Baird had just graduated from her Military Intelligence training as first of her class.

Gracefully accepting the congratulations of her fellows and trainers, she nonetheless rushed home as soon as she was able. For several weeks, she had eagerly awaited the news on whether she'd been accepted into the NATO counter-terrorism unit that she'd applied to months earlier.

To her disappointment, that letter was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, what awaited her at home was a blank white piece of paper. It was slid, or rather made its entrance, under her door after she'd made herself comfortable at home, slumped onto her bed and staring dejectedly at the ceiling.

Confused but intruiged, she approached the innocent looking sheet. Upon realizing it was blank, Eve meant to throw it in the trash, but stopped her crumpling suddenly, when it began to glow. Her eyes widened as she read.

 

-

The next day, intrigued by the glowing white paper on which words just seemed to appear, however little interest a job opportunity at a library held for her, she arrived and met the same bobbed woman as Jacob Stone before her. This time, the woman clapped her hands, gleefully, and cried, “You got the white envelope! I'm Charlene. So, you are Officer Eve Baird. Military, I presume? I think that you are just going to love this position. You'd make a wonderful Guardian, I'm sure of it.”

Eve raised an eyebrow. “Look, ma'am. I don't know what you think I do, or how you got a blank, glowing letter to my house, but I work in Military Intelligence. I'm not interested in library work.”

Charlene's eyes twinkled. “Adorable. Oh, somehow I think we can change your mind.”

Eve scoffed.

Charlene continued, “Fact of the matter is, a new Librarian has just been hired, and he really does need a Guardian. Especially considering what happened to his predecessor. Your predecessor in fact, had to be let go, which is why her position needs a replacement. As it happens, the library chose you.”

Eve sighed, before, “Uh-hu-... wait, what? The _library_ chose me?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Right.” Eve looked at her watch, “Well, alright. I don't really know what I was thinking coming down here, so I'm just going to say this politely, and leave. Thanks for the offer, but I'm awaiting some important documents in the mail, and I'd really like to get home and-”

“Nonsense,” the woman cut her off, “Please follow me, right this way.”

A small niggling of curiosity and something else was the only thing stopping Eve from walking out right there and then. Sullenly, she followed the now-chattering woman into... a bookshelf. Eve gaped.

“ _Why_ is there a secret elevator behind these books??” Alarm bells rang in her head. In fact, the _fact_ that she continued to follow the woman into the elevator, was against both Eve's better judgment AND her military training. Eve herself couldn't explain why she went along with the woman.

The woman calmed punched the desired button and gave a noncommittal answer.

Eve's eyes widened as the elevator floors began rolling so fast they were a blur.

“We're going DOWN?” as the number's continued, “Way, way down?!?”

“Oh... that's a metaphor, really. Not real numbers. The Library is... not quite of this world.”

“What does _that_ even mean?!?”

Before Eve got her answer, the elevator dinged and stopped. The doors opened. Her mouth dropped.

“Welcome, Ms. Baird, to the Library.”

 

“Wha... Whuuhhh?” Eve attempted to clear her throat, her pulse racing thudding. She tried in vain o collect her thoughts, which were in turn both laughing hysterically and screaming in terror. “WHAT..Where are we?? How is this even possible??? This place is huge! ”

She stared at the woman, who she was almost afraid might have grown a tentacle or two, and then back at the expansive, enormous Library.

“We're in the Library, of course. Now, let's go look for the new Librarian. He's your counterpart. The brain, so to speak, to the Guardian's brawn. He and Judson must be here somewhere.”

The woman strode off. Eve followed her, half-stumbling, gaping at the rows and rows of large shelves and bookcases.

“Judson? Judson!”

A clang answered here from several yards and three shelves away.

“Over here, Charlene. We seem to be having a bit of trouble with some Midas gold.”

Charlene turned a corner, Eve at her heels.

Eve wasn't sure if she was relieved to see other people here or not. The image greeting her was not any more reassuring than the Library had been. A short balding man held a golden platter with large rubber and cloth mitts between his hands. Another figure next to him had his (and it was a he; Eve could tell by the broad shoulders) back to her.

Judson grinned broadly at her.

“You must be the new Guardian. Welcome!”

At his voice, the second man turned his head to face the arriving women.

“Judson, you didn't say anythin' about...”

He stopped when his eyes met Eve's.

She considered him silently, uncertain what to make of the situation and trying to regain control of it. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with light brown hair that hung over his ears. He had a drawl, one of the midland South regions, if Eve had to guess based on her training, and a pleasant face. She liked his face, a small part of her brain decided instantly. It was promptly beaten down by the rest of her survival instincts.

“...more people.” Jake Stone finished his sentence, though it was half-hearted at best. Instead, now his eyes twinkled at the sight of a pretty woman. He set a golden rod he was holding, also with mitts, down into a box and sealed it. He stripped the mitts off as he strode over to the women.

“Hi Charlene,” he greeted. He stuck out a hand to Eve. “Jake Stone. Pleasure to meet you,” he said, giving her his attention for the moment.

Eve's voice stuck in her throat. She cleared it. Considered taking his hand, throwing him to the ground and making a break for it, back into sanity. Surprising herself, she gave him her hand. The handshake was quick but firm. By the calluses on his hand, Eve could tell that he worked with them a lot. “Officer Eve Baird. I'd like to say likewise, but I think I may be dreaming, so I can't really tell.”

He and the other two laughed. “Yeah, the Library has that effect on you. I got here five days ago, and I _still_ think I'm dreamin'.” He smiled lopsidedly at her.

Judson, having gotten rid of his platter as well, shuffled over. “Welcome, Ms. Baird. My name is Judson. You coming here is a momentous occasion for us here at the Library. You are the first Guardian in a long time that the Library personally has chosen.”

Eve opened her mouth, then closed it again and shook her head. “Yeah, so I've been told. Charlene said something similar up... stairs, but I'm going to need you to explain what exactly you're talking about. Because, as far as I know, which is no small amount if I say so myself, libraries _aren't alive!”_

All three looked at each other, even newcomer Jake, grinning. Jake was the one to turn to her and say, “Well, as I've been learnin' the last couple of days, I'm not so sure 'bout that.”

 

\----  
  


They led her to a closed room.

Judson walked in front, leisurely leading the way ,with his hands behind his back. Jake Stone walked beside her, occasionally sneaking a glance at her varying expressions of shock, doubt, and glares.

Judson rambled on ahead. “Now, each Librarian has a Guardian. These Guardians are trained in combat, tactics, survival, meant to complement the skills of the Librarian. You've received a white envelope, so you've been selected. The Library has decided that it needs your expertise. Ah, here we are.”

He opened the glass doors to an annex.

Against Eve's better judgment, she fell in love at first sight with this room. It was spacious, with two stories in and of itself, and a large table in the middle. Desks and charts sat at the edges of the room. It was the perfect, homey office space.

“Wow,” she said softly.

Jake heard her and looked over. He smiled. “Pretty cool, right?”

She shook her head before looking at him. “Am I going crazy? Because all of this, magic, it's not real. It can't be.”

Judson turned to her. “I think you will soon find your views on this changed.”

Eve sighed, and rubbed her eyes with her palm, suddenly, inexplicably, extremely tired . “Yeah, right, maybe. First I need a drink. And then shoot something.”

The two men chuckled.

Jake rested his hand lightly on her arm, “Look, I haven't been here much longer than you, but there is a cool bar just down the block from the library's entrance. I'll take you. I know from experience how much this all is to take in.”

He nodded quickly to Judson as she wordlessly allowed him to gently steer her back out of the annex.

Judson watched the two of them walk back up towards the elevator. Charlene joined him.

“I think they'll make a splendid match, don't you?”

“Charlene, my dear, I couldn't agree more.”

 

-

 

At the bar, two blocks away from the entrance of the Library, Eve ordered the strongest drink on the menu as Jake looked on, bemused.

“Crazy, huh?”

She turned toward him. “You have no idea. Finding out that either you're crazy, or magic exists can put a twist on anyone's day.” She regarded him. “So, you just found this out too?”

“Yeah, five days ago.”

“How'd you land the job? I mean, The Librarian? How does a person land something like that??”

Jake shrugged, before lifting the beer he'd ordered to his lips. “White, glowin' letter. Same as you.”

“And that didn't seem _strange_ to you? I mean, you hopped a flight from Oklahoma to check out the library? Why? Don't you have, I dunno, a family or a job back home?”

Jake shifted, resting one arm on the side of the bar, facing Eve. “Well, yeah, guess you could say I had a job. Worked with my Pop on an oil rig, five miles from the town I grew up.” He frowned, “I've always wanted to get out there though, you know? See the world. The Louvre, the Taj Mahal, Machu Pichu. Couldn't do that stayin' there. Left my folks and my sister, Caroline there, but they're happy.”

Eve drained her glass. “What, no girlfriend?” she asked, lightly.

Jake chuckled, “Nah, not for a while now. In my spare time, I finished my degrees.”

“Yeah, right, wow. So, you must be a real genius, huh?”

He ducked his head. “What about you? The Library chose you. Must be for a good reason.”

Eve rolled her eyes, though not unkindly. “Oh geez, I don't know why. I only just finished my training. I'm actually waiting to hear back from a NATO unit I'd like to work in. Counter-terrorism. Still haven't gotten the letter though.”

“Oh, right, yeah.. So you might not actually accept this Guardian position then?” Jake nursed his beer, glancing down at it.

“Oh jesus christ.. I don't know. Am I even allowed to turn down something like this? Turn down a gig at a magic library? For as long I I remember, I've wanted to help people. That why I've spent years learning to protect them. The last thing I expected was for magic to be real, and that I'm the one assigned to fight the evil magicians of the world. That just sounds... ridiculous!”

Jake laughed, the slightest bit shakily. “Yeah, well, I would'a thought so too, last week. A lot has changed for me, since then.”

Eve smiled at him. “Yeah, I can believe that!”

He drained the rest of his bottle. “Well, I'm gonna head back. You comin'?”

“What, you live there now?”

“I'm the Librarian.” Jake winked at her, “Room and board is part of the job description. Same goes for you, I'd reckon.”

She surprised him by laughing. “Yeah, maybe. But I live in Brooklyn. I can get home from here.”

“Oh.”

She looked at him, her mind turning before she answered.. “I'll see you tomorrow, I... guess?”

His eyes twinkled as he grinned at her, relieved. “Sure thing, Baird.” His eyes followed her back as she opened the bar door to leave.

She left, not noticing that she still had a smile on her face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried, I really did, to add little quotes from the source material in there, subtly. I hope it's not too blatant, ha.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to mirror the first 20 minutes or so of Flynn's experience in the first Librarian movie. I dunno if i worked as well as I'd like, but I wanted to get to Eve faster so this chapter is what it is.
> 
> Let me know what you think?


End file.
